DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA ● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2025, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 U.S. MARKETS BOUNCE BACK AFTER ANNOUNCEMENT 80 108 132 61 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY AIIMS doctors develop blood test to monitor cervical cancer treatment ANONNA DUTT NEW DELHI, APRIL 9 A SIMPLE blood test may help determine whether the patient’s cervical cancer is responding to treatment or whether it has relapsed, shows early research by doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi. The study found that the levels of DNA fragments of human papillomavirus (HPV) — the virus responsible for the vast majority of cervical cancer cases — in the blood closely mirror the size of the tumour. As patients began treatment, the viral DNA levels dropped, offering a realtimesnapshotof howthecancer was responding. The findings, published in Scientific Reports, a journal from Nature, could be a gamechanger in how India tackles cervical cancer — the second most common cancer among women in the country. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 HOW IT WORKS ■ A blood sample is collected ■ It’s separated into components like plasma, red blood cells ■ Circulating DNA is extracted from the plasma Trump blinks with 90-day pause on tariffs but dials up China’s to 125% Before he moved, China hit back with 84% tariff, EU 25%; Treasury Secy says India among those willing to ‘sit at table’ JOSH BOAK WASHINGTON, APRIL 9 FACING A global market meltdown, US President Donald Trump Wednesday abruptly backed down on his tariffs on most nations for 90 days, but raised the tax rate on Chinese imports to 125%. It was seemingly an attempt to narrow what had been an unprecedented trade war between the US and most of the world to a showdown between the US and China. The S&P 500 stock index jumped 8% after the announcement. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 2,665 points, or 7.1%,asof 2pmEasterntime,and theNasdaqcompositewas10.3% hours after Goyal tells exporters not to panic RAVI DUTTA MISHRA NEW DELHI, APRIL 9 Decided to pause because more than 75 countries reached out for trade talks, says Trump. Reuters higher. But the precise details of Trump’s plans to ease tariffs on non-China trade partners were CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Stephen Miran heads US Council of Economic Advisers NEW DELHI, APRIL 9 E NOT MANY mayhaveheard of Stephen Miran. ● He is the man who US President Donald Trump selected as the chairman of his Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) — and also perhaps the most articulate defender of his EARLIER ANALYSIS EXPLAINED, PAGE 11 INDIA’S STRATEGY of initiating talks for a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) with the US, along with its restraint in not retaliating against US tariffs, appears to have paid off, as US President Donald Trump Wednesday paused reciprocal tariffs on 75 countries, including India, while imposing a steep 125 per cent tariff on China in response to its retaliatory measures. The sharply high tariffs on China could provide a compara- tive advantage for India, as businesses based in China may now look to shift operations to countries with lower tariff regimes, such as India. However, concerns remain over the risk of dumping from the Chinese market into India. That said, the threat of reciprocaltariffsonIndiahasnotbeen ruled out. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, when asked whether the tariffs were always aboutChina,replieditwasabout “bad actors” and that Vietnam, Japan, South Korea and India could be next though he added, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 policy of sweeping “reciprocal tariffs” that threaten to upend the existing international trading system and have triggered massive sell-off in stock markets across the globe. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 HITESH VYAS MUMBAI, APRIL 9 THE RESERVE Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) reduced the repo rate by 25basispoints(bps)to6percent Wednesday while the growth forecast for the current fiscal (FY2026) was lowered to 6.5 per cent from 6.7 per cent amid uncertainties arising from trade RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra in Mumbai on Wednesday. Amit Chakravarty RELATEDREPORTS,PAGE13 wars following the reciprocal tariffs announced by the US. Announcing the monetary policy, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said the trade tariff related measures have exacerbateduncertaintiescloudingthe economic outlook across regions,posingnewheadwindsfor global growth and inflation. He warned that tariffs will impede domestic growth and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 He will face trial and punishment, extradition big success of Govt: Shah MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL NEW DELHI, APRIL 9 INDIAN SECURITY agencies braced for the arrival Thursday of Tahawwur Rana, being extraditedfromtheUSnearly16years after his arrest for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. On Wednesday evening, the Nayayik Abhiraksha Vahini of Delhi Police was asked by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to send a jail van, along with pilot escorts, to the airport around 7 am Thursday, ahead of Rana’s arrival. The Delhi Police Special Cell has been placed on alert and SWATcommandoshavealready been deployed at the airport. A team of three senior officers of the NIA, along with three intelligenceofficials,reachedthe US Sunday to obtain custody of Rana, sources in the Ministry of Tahawwur Rana sent LeT scout Headley to Mumbai Home Affairs said. The source said the team obtained Rana’s custody and he would be reaching Delhi Thursday. It is likely that he will be placed under judicial custody in Tihar Jail. “The Nayayik Abhiraksha Vahini,whichferriesjailinmates from prison to courts, has been askedtosenditspersonneltothe airport. Initially, it was told to send a team around 4 am, but that was later changed to 7 am,” the source said. “Ajailvanalongwithpilotescorts, comprising police personnel, have been asked to reach the airportby7am.TheSouthDistrict CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Why NIA, and not Mumbai Police, got first access to Rana MOHAMED THAVER & SADAF MODAK MUMBAI, APRIL 9 EVENAStheallegedplotterofthe 26/11 terror attack, Tahawwur Rana,isbeingextraditedtoIndia fromtheUnitedStates,itwasthe National Investigation Agency (NIA) that went to the US to get India hits back after Yunus N-E remark, halts transshipment facility for Dhaka his custody as against the Mumbai Police that had investigated the terror attacks case and filed the first chargesheet. One of the reasons why the NIA will get first custody is the factthattheMumbaiPoliceinits original chargesheet filed in 2009 had not named Rana as a wanted accused, while the NIA CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Due to congestion at ports, airports: MEA Kathmandu Siliguri corridor CHINA (TIBET) BHUTAN NEPAL Meghalaya Bihar ■ DNA is amplified and tested using a precise PCR technique INDIA Assam Manipur West Bengal Tripura Dhaka BANGLADESH BAY OF BENGAL EXPRESS NETWORK RAVI DUTTA MISHRA NEW DELHI, APRIL 9 CCS CLEARS `64K-CR DEAL FOR 26 RAFALE JETS FOR NAVY RUSSIA INVITES MODI TO MAY 9 VICTORY DAY PARADE PAGES 7, 10 Tahawwur Rana, extradited from US for his role in 26/11, India gets a breather, reaches Delhi today No knee-jerk this, meet POLICY STANCE NOW ‘ACCOMMODATIVE’ economist behind tariffs RBI cuts key rate by 25 basis points, growth projection lowered to 6.5% HARISH DAMODARAN EXPLAINED 10/04/2025 TIHAR READIES CELL, PROSECUTOR NAMED DAYS AFTER Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, seeking “extension of the Chineseeconomy”,calledIndia's Northeast “landlocked”, New Delhi decided to terminate the transshipment facility for Bangladesh’s export cargo, a move that can disrupt Dhaka's trade with several countries. Thedecisionwasannounced late Tuesday night through a no- MYANMAR Mizoram tification issued by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Wednesday that the transshipment facility extended to Bangladesh had over a period of time resulted in significant congestion at India's airportsandports.“Logisticaldelays and higher costs were hindering our own exports and creating backlogs. The facility, therefore, has been withdrawn w.e.f. April 8, 2025. To clarify, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 AT THE AICC SESSION Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge with party leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and others at the AICC session in Ahmedabad, Wednesday. Bhupendra Rana REPORT,PAGE10 Elphinstone Bridge at Prabhadevi that will be closed from Thursday to be rebuilt by the MMRDA. Sankhadeep Banerjee Mumbai’s Elphinstone Singapore court sets aside ‘copied, Bridge to be closed for pasted’ arbitral award by ex-CJI two years from today APURVA VISHWANATH NEW DELHI, APRIL 9 THESINGAPORECourtof Appeal on Tuesday set aside an international arbitral award involving a governmentrailwaycontractafter finding that the award had significant portions that were “copied and pasted” from two similarIndianarbitrationawards. Significantly, the Court of Justice Misra was the Presiding Arbitrator in all 3 awards Appeal in a 40-page ruling said the Presiding Arbitrator in all three awards in question was former Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra. “Outof the451paragraphsin theAward,itwasundisputedthat at least 212 paragraphs were copied and pasted from the ParallelAwards,”therulingnoted. ParallelAwardsisananonymised reference to two Indian arbitrationsthatwereheldparalleltothe Singapore arbitration involving the same parties. The Court of Appeal is the highest Court in Singapore and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, APRIL 9 THE ELPHINSTONE Bridge in Mumbai will remain closed for two years from Thursday for its demolition and reconstruction. Thereconstructionofthecentury-old Road Over Bridge (ROB) betweenParelandPrabhadeviin central Mumbai is part of the Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector venture of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). Ahead of the closure of the bridge, Mumbai Traffic Police issued an advisory for the commuters and public regarding the traffic changes. Pradip Chavan, Deputy Commissionerof Police,Trafficissued these restrictions under section 115 of Motor Vehicles Act 1988. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ‘Support caste census, not caste politics... also have MY (Mahila, Yuva) formula’ PAGE 1 ANCHOR EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, APRIL 9 UNION MINISTER of Food Processing Industries and Lok JanshaktiParty(RamVilas)president Chirag Paswan believes that a caste census would offer data to the government for tailoring various welfare schemes for people, but says that such data should not be made public as that could fuel casteism. It may sound paradoxical “that I don’t support caste politics but support caste census”, Paswan said at the Express Adda on Tuesday night, adding that caste is a harsh reality in the country. Underlining that both discrimination and various government schemes for people’s uplift were based on caste, he said the state governments should have the caste data but refrain from making it public. Paswan, 42, was in conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, and Vandita Mishra, National Opinion Editor, The Indian Express. Asserting that he believed in the concept of “Bihar First” and “BihariFirst”,Paswansaid,“Ialso have MY (Mahila and Yuva) formula. Out of my five MPs, two are women. I talk about 14 crore Biharis... The moment Biharis come out of Bihar and outside caste, they do so well in every field — media, corporates and Union Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan at Express Adda in New Delhi on Tuesday. Renuka Puri bureaucracy.” He said the need of the hour is to work for Bihar’s development — something that having thesameallianceinpowerinthe state and at the Centre, he said, should help achieve — expressing confidence that the incumbentNDAwouldreturntopower in Bihar by clinching the state Assembly polls later this year. Asked whether he was concerned about doles being handed out by various parties to come to power, Paswan said, “Of late,yes,itisaconcern.(Iam)not talking about cash, but as a taxpayer, I would say services are more important than putting money in banks. Education and health should be free. I hope after 2047, when we become a developednation,thesethingswill be used on services.” Defending the enactment of the amended Waqf law, the LJP(RV)chiefsaidtherewasatendency in some circles to spread distrustamongMuslims,beiton the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)oronArticle370.Heunderlined that while the CAA was to give citizenship to people from persecuted minorities in a few neighbouring countries, the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2